Bride of Christ: Part Two - The Proverbs 31 connection

In Part One of this three-part series we touched on the common Biblical allusion that equates the marital relationship between husband and wife and that between Christ and his Church.

We also saw how the acrostic form, as it sometimes occurs in the Bible, can point to directly Jesus because of a connection that has been somewhat appropriately revealed to us in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus refers to himself as ‘Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last’.

I also explained previously how the Greek reference to Alpha and Omega, which John refers to in this passage, equate to the Hebrew Aleph and Tav, because both pairs are the first and last letters of their respective alphabets.

In Part Two, we shall see how this connects Jesus and the Church to Proverbs 31:10-31, just as its acrostic structure will guide us towards Psalm 119 in Part Three.

This very familiar piece of Scripture is one I have heard preached many times; as counsel to Godly ladies on how to be a good wife, and as a guide to young men on what to look for when looking for one.

Nor would I disagree that there is something in that view at a surface level inasmuch as the ‘Proverbs 31 wife’ is an undoubted exemplar of the perfect woman. However, I don’t think that God intended this lady merely to be used as an ideal to guide men in their search for the perfect life partner, or as a template that all women must emulate in order to fulfil that ideal.

Remarkably, I believe that the clue to its real purpose lies once again in that verse already mentioned, where Jesus identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega.

The reason for examining the relevant passage in Proverbs 31 one line at a time, is to fulfill the Biblical principle with which I ended Part One, which was taken from Isaiah 28:9-10. This alludes to one way that God uses Scripture to teach its readers by revealing that its truths as integrated in an orderly way - ‘precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little’.

In other words, an important truth is seldom to be gleaned from a single scripture, but can be demonstrated through the inter-linking, connecting and comparing of several different scriptures throughout the Bible.

Indeed, this truth is exploited in one commonly used rabbinincal teaching device, that was used not only by apostles like Peter and Paul, but frequently employed Jesus himself. It is called a kesher,which uses Biblical allusion in a is somewhat similar way to how an internet text employs a hypertext link.

Jesus and other rabbis were able to do this because of the peculiarly diligent way in which the Scriptures were soundly inculcated into Jews from their earliest childhood, utilising a trait of human psychology that is exploited in our own culture by advertising, which works by exposure to constant repetition.

As a result, any adult Jew of Jesus time would have been so conversant with the Hebrew Scriptures that the merest mention of a particular passage would be immediately recognised and instantly cross-referenced in the hearer's mind. Rabbis like Jesus used such keshers frequently because they could confidently assume that their hearers understood where they were coming from.

However, this feature of Scripture is not widely appreciated today, which has led many cynics to question fundamental doctrines by arguing that Jesus made no mention of certain specifics.

For example, many cynics argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, by which they mean he never actually sat his disciple down and said, “Watch my lips: I am God!” But does that mean that he never claimed to be divine? Of course he did! Indeed, on many occasions his hearers took up rocks to stone him for blasphemy because they instantly recognised that that was precisely what he was saying when he deliberately made allusion to it. Indeed, it was on the basis of his supposed blasphemy that the religious leaders sought Jesus' death - even though they had to manipulate Pilate into ordering Jesus' crucifixion by contriving to make his supposed blasphemy appear treasonous.

‘Let the Bible interpret the Bible’ is not some fancy modern Christian theology; it was a well established exegetical principle long before Jesus’ day. There's something about it that just works.

So, without further ado, let's begin our more detailed examination of the Proverbs 31 wife. Also, for the benefit of those who like additional detail, I have annotated each verse number with its acrostic initial. Under this I have added its first word in Hebrew, followed by its transliteration and English translation, followed by a short commentary.

[אשׁת (eshet) - wife]

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

This verse parallels God’s description of believers found in several other scriptures. For example, in Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul compares human marriage to Jesus’ search for an excellent wife, and counsels husbands to love their wives, as Christ loved the church...and speaks of a Church that is ‘’without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.’

And in Matthew 13:44-46, where Jesus likens God to a rich man in search of treasure hidden in a field, or a pearl of great price. In each case the rich man sells all that he has to purchase his prize.

It is symptomatic of the widespread self-centredness and legalism of the modern Church, that this scripture has usually been twisted the wrong way round, to where we understand the wealthy man to be us, while the treasure in the field and the pearl of great value represent God’s Kingdom.

Not at all!

A closer look at the context and a moment’s thought reveal that the wealthy man Jesus describes here is none other than God himself, whose desire to redeem his precious children is so deep that he is willing to up everything he has to obtain the object of that desire.

In other words we are the precious jewels in the field and the pearl of great price, for whom God was willing to give up no less his beloved Son Jesus Christ.

[בטח (batach) - trusts]

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

When we realise that this is the Church as seen by her husband Jesus, we begin to wonder how closely we fit the description. And it may explain Jesus' query in Luke 18:8b, where he famously asks...

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Here we see Jesus searching for a bride he can trust, which is appropriate because trust is precisely what he goes on to speak about in his next breath, when he recounts the familiar parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, in Luke 18:9-14.

In it, Jesus contrasts the self-righteous Pharisee's contempt for a tax-collector, as he boasts in prayer of his avoidance of sin, his fasting and his tithes.

The tax collector, however makes no such pretension but humbly cries out,

‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

As a result, says Jesus, it was the tax-collector and not the Pharisee who returned home justified - because justification by faith is not a New Testament novelty, but an established Old Testament principle found in Habakkuk 2:4...

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Every man looks for a wife who will remain faithful to him, and Jesus is no exception, as he searches for a Church that he can trust to be faithful. And a Church in whom Jesus says he can trust is a Church that does not trust in its own righteousness, which usually translates into contempt for others, whereas a Church which trusts in God will be more inclined to show God’s mercy towards others.

[גמלתהו (gemalathu) - does]

She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

The power of this verse lies in the way it expresses God’s expectation that Church is there to benefit him.

His own reputation is of paramount importance to a holy God, as we see here in the words of Psalm 138:2,

I will worship toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your name for your mercy, and for your truth; for you have magnified your Word above all your name.

Unfortunately, God’s name is something that the Church has all too often chosen to play fast and loose with. The entire foundation of the Gospel and our New Covenant relationship with God is founded on the premises of love and grace and forgiveness of sin.

Yet, all too often these foundation stones have remained well hidden by a Church that has been far too eager to misrepresent God as a vindictive, judgemental and angry Father, whose Son Jesus is an equally vindictive, judgemental and angry husband.

And that tragically distorted view is no basis for an eternal relationship.

[דרשׁה (dareshah) - seeks]

She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

Here we see the Church appearing to perform ‘works’, which might freak out some Christians who have been mistakenly taught that works are no longer necessary.

As far as salvation is concerned that much is quite true because we cannot earn salvation, which is God’s unearned and undeserved favour.

Nevertheless, God does expect his Church to work corporately - as the Body of Christ - towards advancing his kingdom, as we see expressed here in terms of his Bride seeking wool and flax.

This harks back once again to the Alpha and Omega or Aleph-Tav, because wool and flax speak of kinship and of priesthood in terms of Biblical righteousness. Thus the famous metaphor of Isaiah 1:18-20 which speaks of our sins that are like scarlet being transformed by obedience to become as white as snow, and those that are red like crimson, shall become like wool.

John the Baptist called Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), while the prophet Isaiah equates the white covering of pure wool with the purity of the forgiven believer.

Flax, on the other hand, is used to manufacture linen, which speaks directly of priesthood, for example, in Leviticus 16:32, where it speaks directly of the priesthood making atonement, while 'wearing the holy linen garments'.

Linen is a remarkable cloth which God stipulated that his priests must wear to minister to him. This is for a number of reasons which are related.

Linen is by far the best material for clothing to be worn in a hot climate, because it readily absorbs sweat, and sweat speaks of labour and toil and of the curse that befell Adam in Genesis 3:19a when God pronounced that, ‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread...’

After the Flood, however, God rescinded his curse on the earth (Genesis 8:21b). But its effects still remained on Adam and Adam’s seed, until Jesus - who Paul calls the Last Adam mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:45 - took the curse upon himself in another Garden.

Luke 22:44

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

By speaking of the removal of sweat, linen thereby speaks of our rest in rest in God’s grace rather than the toil of works.

There is even an old Puritan saying that Cleanliness is next to Godliness, which derives from the Elizabethan’s introduction of linen underwear.

Prior to then, bathing had been a frequent practice throughout the Middle Ages, but due to poor sanitation and the virtual non-existence of any plumbing, clean water to wash in became a rarity, especially in the newly emerging towns and cities, so bathing fell out of favour as dirty water was correctly thought to spread disease.

However, people did not change, and the Elizabethans did not like to stink any more than you or I, so personal hygiene was still a priority which people found other ways of achieving.

If bathing could make you sick, then at least have clean laundry, and people began wearing clean linen underwear to remove as much of the offending sweat as possible. That’s why you see all those pictures of Puritans and their contemporaries wearing white collars and cuffs, because clean linen was also perceived as a sign of a clean life and of one’s moral rectitude.

By analogy, then, God speaks of his Church as desiring to make clean garments for her children, by clothing them in righteous attire already mentioned in Ephesians 5:27 - ‘...a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing...that it should be holy and without blemish.’

[היתה (hayetah) - she is]

She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

This time food is used to exemplify the Gospel message of God‘s love and grace and forgiveness, as well as nourishing and strengthening the believer in their walk of faith. And notice that a ship is a large vessel, which connotes the transportation of food in far greater quantity than the needs of a solitary housewife and her immediate family, while ‘afar’ speaks of a distance that Jesus would often allude to; such as in John 6:48-51, where he calls himself ‘the bread that comes down from heaven’.

The idea of merchandising, as used here, does not imply merchandising the Gospel but is a metaphor that describes trade in something of value, as we see in Isaiah 55:1-2, where the prophet tells those who have no money to ‘...come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ This passage is heavily Messianic and speaks of God's grace, but also counters a flawed view of grace that is all too prevalent nowadays, which implies that because salvation is free, then discipleship must be without cost.

What is very much under-emphasised today, is that while salvation is indeed free, discipleship most certainly has a cost. Nevertheless, that cost is not what those of a legalistic bent might imagine we have to pay by our own infinitely inadequate performance, or ‘works’.

That cost, however, is described in some detail by Jesus himself in Luke 14:26-33 which, for brevity, allow me to distil down to a few uncomfortable points...

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple...So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

The cost of discipleship is not monetary, nor is it in an way limited to some paltry quantity. The cost of discipleship, says Jesus, is everything. In fact it means to die altogether to self - to what the Bible refers to as our flesh nature (Romans 7:18).

This is not necessarily accomplished all at once, but may be done in manageable stages that the Holy Spirit will patiently walk us through. Nevertheless, God expects us to take up our cross daily and die a little to something of our flesh, otherwise we are no disciple of his. And if you are not a disciple then you cannot be called a Christian (Acts 11:26).

What is hard is not the effort of trying to do good things to impress God (which doesn‘t work anyway).

What is hard is the pain of dying to self.

[ותקם (v’attaqam) - and rises]

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

The idea that the Church rises up while it is still dark is a frequent theme in the New Testament, and speaks of the contrast between the Church and the world. Because the only remedy to the darkness is the light that the church has been called to shine forth into it, as we see in Ephesians 5:8 where Paul contrasts the believer with those he calls ‘the sons of disobedience’...

Then do not become partakers with them; for you then were darkness, but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light.

So, God considers darkness as ‘unfruitful’, whereas to walk as children of the light is associated with ‘fruitfulness’ of the Spirit, which Paul here equates with ‘all goodness and righteousness and truth’.

Jesus also makes a connection between light and fruitfulness in Matthew 5:13-16,

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The parallel here appears only to be between light and salt, with no obvious connection to fruitfulness, but begins to become clearer if we read Luke 14:34-35

Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The most common mistake here is to equate Jesus' words with culinary salt. That makes little sense of the context in which Jesus says that when salt has lost its taste it is no longer fit for ‘the soil or the manure pile’.

If you have never thought of that as bizarre, let me ask when you last took your salt cellar to sprinkle the compost heap?

What modern urban-dwelling Christians have lost sight of is that Jesus' audience was largely agrarian and, even to this day, salt is used as agricultural fertiliser in the Middle East. Farmers spread it on the soil not to season their crops but to nourish the soils those very crops grow up in.

I believe the recommended amount of sodium chloride for depleted soil is around 20 bushels per acre. That's about 40 stone, or 560 pounds over 4840 square yards, equivalent to about 2 ounces of salt per square yard.

However, in Jesus' day impure sea salt was used which could leach its minerals until it was little more than grit, fit only to be trampled under foot. So, how could you tell good salt from bad? - You would taste it! - Just like those fictional detectives in all those TV police dramas who go around sticking their fingers in bags of unidentified powder to taste for cocaine or heroin. Real cops don't do that unless they plan to to drop dead on the spot.

So, the principle quality of salt that Jesus is talking about is not its flavour, or even its preservative quality, but its fruitfulness.

[זממה (zamemah) - she considers]

She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

Here again we see another agricultural metaphor that speaks of work and reward. This is because in this context work is not a reference to individual performance in order to obtain salvation, but to our corporate accomplishment as God's Church. The strong allusion here is to the corporate task of the Church which is to spread the Gospel and advance the Kingdom of God, as we see strongly stated in John 4:34, where Jesus tells us that, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

He then issues this challenge in verses 36-38, to participate in the impending harvest...

Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.”

Meanwhile the ‘vineyard’ mentioned in Proverbs 31:16 is of course the ground in which every disciple is nurtured, as Jesus stated in John 15:1-5.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he lifts up, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit...Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Those who are familiar with this scripture will notice that I have re-translated verse 2 - from, ‘Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away…’ to, ‘Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he lifts up’.

But don’t worry, I haven’t changed the original Scripture in any way, but merely corrected a mistranslation of the Greek αιρε,(aire) for which Thayer offers three definitions…

1) to raise up, elevate, lift up

2) to take upon one’s self and carry what has been raised up, to bear

3) to bear away what has been raised, carry off

You will notice that the traditional rendering is a tertiary definition and not the word’s principle meaning. However, most translators have opted for the less obvious and less fitting usage because they have confused those whom Jesus says abide in him (verse 2) with those who do not (verse 6) - ‘If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.’

[חגרה (chagera) - she girds]

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

This refers to a Church that is solidly centred around praise and worship, as we see Jesus refer to in answer to his religious detractors in Jerusalem, in Matthew 21:15-16...

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”

And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

Jesus was citing Psalm 8:2a, which says, ‘Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength...’

the Greek translation of the Old Testament scriptures known as the Septuagint, in which the Hebrew word עוז (‛oz) - strength, appears in the Greek as, αινον (ainon) - praise.

[טעמה (ta’amah) she perceives]

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.

This verse speaks of a Church that truly understands the Gospel of grace entrusted to its care, and values it accordingly. As a result, she stands unaffected by the darkness that is so prevalent in the wider world all about her; or as Psalm 119:105 famously puts it, ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’

In both scriptures that word ‘lamp is נרה (nerah), which can also be translated ‘candle’, whereby connecting it to the Parable of the Sower, which is also often called the

‘Parable of Parables’ , because Jesus told his disciples that if they could not understand its meaning they would understand any parable (Mark 4:13).

For this reason, Jesus interpreted the parable privately for the benefit of his disciples, when he explained that that seed that is sown is the Word of God, and the different types of soil represent the hearts of men. In Luke 8:15-18, he goes on to explain that those who typify the good soil ‘are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience’,and once again he alludes to light.

No-one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

[ידיה (yadeiha) - her hands]

She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

This speaks once again of creating fabric, this time by spinning yarn using a spindle and distaff and, as such, alludes to praise (and by extension to the Messiah himself) because the word for hands differs from that used in the next verse.

In this case the Hebrew word for hand is ‘yad’, from which two important Hebrew words derive…

ידה (yadah) - praise, and,

יהוּדה (yehudah) - Jew.

This in turn extends to Jesus himself, as we see from this famous scripture in Isaiah 61:1-2a which Jesus read from when he announced his Messiahship…

The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favour...

[ כפה (kappa) - her hand]

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

This time the Hebrew word for hand is closely related to Kaph - the name of the Hebrew initial with which the verse begins - a letter in the form of a cupped hand.

And, whereas the open yad was raised hand of praise and worship, in Hebrew liturgy it was into his cupped hand that the priest would pour the oil of anointing before pouring onto the one being anointed. This verse is speaking therefore, not only about the Church’s spirit of material generosity but of her being a blessing by meeting the needs of the spiritually bereft with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

[לא (Lo) - No/Not]

She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

This verse harks back to the Blood of Christ by which the believer is cleansed of his sin, whilst the term snow speaks of righteousness.

This may sound counter-intuitive at first, to think of anyone fearing righteousness, but it is in fact an ingrained part of the fallen nature, that sinners feel condemned when they come into the presence of holiness.

If you check out Genesis 3:7-8, you can read of mankind's reaction to God's appearance in the Garden of Eden after they had eaten the forbidden fruit.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

Sin did not separate Adam from God - his own shame did. It was Adam who hid from God, while it was God who went looking for Adam.

But the reaction of shame to the brightness of God's glory is like the scuttling of bugs when we lift a paving stone. And because God's law is holy, sinful flesh reacts to it in the same way, as Paul explains in Romans 7:12-13...

So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

Here, Paul gives what is really rather a good exposition of what made the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ so toxic to Adam.

The antidote to condemnation, therefore, is not just to demand an improvement in our outward behaviour (which is mere self righteousness), but the instillation in our heart of a true understanding of grace, because only that can cause the inner transformation that manifests as an improvement in our outward behaviour. Paul famously explained that principle in this way in Romans 8:1-4 - even if many Christians don't yet grasp what he was actually saying...

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

[מרבדים (marvadim) - coverlets]

She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Bed coverings speak of martial intimacy - between Christ and his Church - while as mentioned earlier, linen speaks of service without sweat - effortless righteousness that is obtained and not earned.

Purple is a combination of the blue of heaven and the crimson Blood of Christ, and can found mentioned in Exodus 25:3-4,where God commanded to take up a contribution for his Tabernacle...

And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair…

In these two verses we see the three metals cleverly paralleled with the three different coloured threads .

Gold represents Divinity and Kingship, and is here linked to the blue of heaven.

Silver represents redemption, which here parallels the purple which speaks of the synthesis of divinity and humanity that we see in Christ - as fully God and fully man.

Bronze represents judgement, and is therefore linked to the scarlet which speaks of the blood sacrifice required by the Law for the atonement of every sin, which is the price that Jesus paid with his own Blood which was poured out for all of us.

Another theme we see concealed in Proverbs 31:22is that coverlets are what cover us while we rest - thus linking them to three major themes that are central to the Gospel message - namely - atonement, salvation and eternal life.

‘Atonement’ is merely the word the Sixteenth Century translators chose to render what is literally ‘covering’ in the original Hebrew.

‘Salvation’ is also called our ‘rest’ (Hebrews 4:10-11).

And ‘eternal life’,is the term that God himself uses to describe the intimacy of relationship with him to which every believer is called (John 17:3).

All in all, this short verse packs a heavy punch, in which we see once again how condemnation is lifted from believers when the Church faithfully teaches the Gospel of Grace.

[נודע (novda‛) known/recognised]

Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

This verse barely needs exposition, since the Church’s husband is Christ, and it is the responsibility of the Church to make her husband known and recognised by the world. His reputation is in our hands - Guard it wisely!

Reference to the elders in the gates speaks of Christ sitting amidst the leaders who, in ancient times, would sit at the city gates from where they would judge whatever case was brought before them for their arbitration.

This says, therefore, that a Church that properly acknowledges Jesus will itself be recognised as operating in his authority and as having a reputation for administering wise and merciful judgement.

[סדין (sadın) - fine linen]

She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.

Once again, this verse needs little elaboration because we have already mentioned linen garments and the importance right teaching. This time we see sashes, or belts mentioned, which speak of two things, both of which relate directly to Jesus.

In Isaiah 11:5 the prophet describes faithfulness as a belt, while in the famous scene following the Last Supper, where Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he first ties a towel around his waist (John 13:5).

So, doing, Jesus formed a sash, or apron, thereby adopting the garb of the servant before performing the office of the lowest servant in any household which was the task of washing the feet of his master and his guests.

Even in Revelation 1:12-13, the glorified Christ glories in the symbol of his servanthood...

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

And once again, we see Christ depicted as the Servant King, wearing ‘a golden sash around his chest’, depicting the humility that is the very hallmark which qualifies the Son of God to be exalted above all men.

And since no servant is greater than his Master (John 13:16) the Church is called to trust in God for her exaltation through her service to others and not by the vainglorious exhibition of her own imagined self-worth.

[עז (‛oz) - strength]

Strength and honour are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

In a parallel to the previous verse, this one speaks of the Church being strengthened and honoured by the righteousness in which her husband has clothed her, whereby ‘she laughs at the time to come’.

This also speaks of humility and of something the Bible calls dying to self, because there will always be a cost in this world - in terms of persecution for following in obedience to Christ, as Jesus himself said in Luke 6:26...

Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

But there is nonetheless an element of vindication for those who trust in God and do not stoop to exacting their own judgement. Psalm 2:4 says of God's enemies...

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall mock at them.

Psalm 37:12-13 says much the same thing, while in Hebrews 10:30-31, we learn that God's contempt for his enemies is not just an Old Testament phenomenon...

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Yes, God will exact his final judgement on the incorrigibly wicked - those who simply refuse to repent. But that judgement is God’s business, not ours. The Church's responsibility is not to judge this world, but to do all that we can to help as many as possible to avoid the same judgement that a holy God will one day righteously exact on the unrepentant.

[פיה (piha) - her mouth]

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

This verse simply rehearses the point made in the one preceding it, by re-emphasising the Church’s responsibility to refrain from judging outsiders, but rather to speak God's blessing, grace and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

That word translated ‘kindness’ is חסד (chesed) - in my opinion, one of the most beautiful words in the Bible, and my favourite words of Hebrew. Of the 248 times it is found in Scripture, it is translated as ‘lovingkindness’ on no fewer than thirty occasions and as ‘mercy’ 149 times. Yet ‘teaching kindness’ is not necessarily something that is all that common in some churches nowadays.

If you have ever wondered what God considers to be wisdom, this verse gives us a very strong clue.

[צופיה (tsophiyah) - looks]

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

This verse speaks of a wife who is industrious - but not of a Church that is consumed with works, as God's idea of idleness extends well beyond mere inactivity.

Matthew 12:36-37

But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

That word idle is actually the Greek argon, which every high school science student should recognise as the name of one of the inert gases - so-called because they don’t react with any other element which, among other things, means that they never burn.

So Jesus calls anything which achieves no good ‘evil’, just as surely as if it were used to accomplish something bad. Something that many might do well to dwell upon before opting to ‘sit on the fence’. It’s not good enough for believers just to sit on their hands and avoid doing or speaking any evil, whilst keeping a low profile in an attempt to hide from harm.

In God’s estimation, if we are not involved in being part of the solution, we are part of the problem - a principle that Jesus put rather succinctly in Luke 11:23...

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

[קמו (qamu) - rise up]

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Although not immediately apparent, the same root occurs here as in verse 15 which, you will remember begins with ותקם (v’attaqam) - ‘and rises’. This is a simple matter of Hebrew word ’structure being used to cleverly maintain the acrostic by the addition in the earlier verse of the conjunction ו (and), which in Hebrew forms part of the word, but has not been added here.

And here, that word blessed is actually ‘asher’ which can also be translated as ‘happy’, a similarity that is shared with its Greek equivalent makarion which also means happy or blessed, as we find in Matthew 5:3-12 - the section generally known as the Beatitudes where it occurs no less than nine times - deriving from the Latin ‘beati’ (from which we also get our word beautiful). And, according to 1 Samuel 2:30b, when the Church moves in that realm of honouring God, he responds in kind.

'...those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’

I would also note that those nine times that blessed is used in Matthew 5 is the number associated with the fruit of the Holy Spirit and divine completeness from the Father - something that will be worth remembering when move on to Part Three.

[רבות (rabbo’ot) - many]

“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

The Literal Translation Version renders this verse thus…

Many are the daughters who act with virtue, but you rise above them all!

Indeed, most translation favour ‘daughters’ rather than ‘women’, as the more literal rendering of בנות (bano’ot), and not נשׁים (nashim) - women.

This strikes me as interesting, because ‘daughters’ used in this way generally refers to women related to a specific place or group, and not just women in general. So, this seems to be another indication that the passage as a whole is speaking of a wife who is not only ideal, but exceptionally so.

In other words, Jesus is not looking for a second-rate Church, but a Bride worthy of his own perfection - which is an ideal we have seen expressed before…

Ephesians 5:27

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

This verse alone, should give pause for thought to any believers who thinks that Grace amounts to a licence to just turn up at church now and then, and behave just any old how.

But nor is it speaking of merely turning up at church in our Sunday finery. It is speaking of the utter perfection that can only be received as a gift by those most intimate with God and who as a result are most conscious of his goodness and his mercy and forgiveness.

It does not describe the legalistic Church, the judgemental Church or the small-minded, or tight-fisted Church, but the glorious Bride of Christ which proudly carries her husband’s name and is characterised by her husband’s love.

[שׁקר (sheqer) - is deceitful]

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears Yahweh is to be praised.

Having set the tone in the previous verse, here we continue in the same vein by emphasising the truth that a Church is never judged by God according to the size of its congregation nor the size of its bank account, but by how much its people reverence him. And as to how any Church does that, we have Jesus' own very specific instructions.

John 13:31-32 & 34-35

When [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once...A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If that sounds like your Church, then God says you are to be praised - but praised by him, not by men.

But if you feel you have some way to go and are not yet there, then just maybe you’re a lot closer to pleasing God than you might think. Because it is one of those ironies of God’s kingdom that those upon whom God lavishes the highest opinion also tend to be those who are least conscious of their own virtue.

Or do you remember the righteous ones mentioned in Matthew 25:34-40, who were commended by the King, who said...

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

It would be beautiful enough passage of Scripture if Jesus had just left it there. But if there is one thing even more extraordinary than the commendable lovingkindness that these people exhibited towards the disadvantaged, it is that they did so without a scintilla of self-consciousness

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

What pleased the King most in this parable was not just the good works that the righteous performed, but the selfless which motivated them, because God is not fooled by flattery, nor is he impressed by ‘brown-nosers’, nor by those who jostle for position with the greatest affectation of humility - but whose charity is always done to be seen.

Indeed, it is sobering to reflect that one of the lowest criticisms the Bible can level at anyone is the accusation of being a ‘man-pleaser’ (Galatians 1:10).

[תנו (tenu) - give her]

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

There we go again - works and reward. But by now we see that it is not speaking of self-effort or self-promoting performance in order to impress or to gain Brownie-points with God.

God’s way is altogether different, but rather than expound further let me just refer you to something that One with much greater authority than mine had to say, which I think sums up the final verse of Proverbs…

John 15:8-12

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

There’s an old aphorism - ‘Let Scripture interpret Scripture’, and that is exactly what we have done in Part Two of this series.

As we move on to Part Three, we do so in a different way, as we connect the two acrostics, by linking the verses of Proverbs 31 to their counterpart stanzas in Psalm 119 by their index letter - aleph to aleph, beth to beth, and so on.

There we shall discover that Psalm 119 virtually unfolds as a commentary on Proverbs 31:10-31, in it own right. And we shall see how remarkably well they fit together, to shed even more light than we have seen so far.